Full-fashioned panty and method



April 19, 1955 L. w. GARROU ET AL 2,706,389

FULL-FASHIONED PANTY AND METHOD Filed Nov. 5, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet l[00/3 W 642/200 OATS/ME Ems,

INVENTORS.

24 w M? M ATTORNEYS.

April 19, 1955 w. GARRou ET AL FULL-FASHIONED PANTY AND METHOD FiledNov. 5, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 lav/5 l Z Gmwou 41m ONES/ME H. Pan'sINVENTORS.

ATTORNEYS.

April 19, 1955 L. w. GARROU ET AL 2,706,389

FULL-FASHIONED PANTY AND METHOD Filed Nov. 5, 1953 5 Shets-Sheet 3 [00/514 @zm/ J 24kt 0%[5/076 Paws. 22 5 INVENTOR s.

20' BY 14 i ATTORNEYS.

April 19, 1955 L. w. GARROU ET AL FULL-FASHIONED PANTY AND METHOD 5Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Nov. 5, 1953 [00/5 M 642200 6 ONES/ME 14 pan/5.

lNVENTORS.

ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent FULL-FASHIONED PANTY AND METHOD Louis W. Garrou andOnesime H. Pons, Valdese, N. C., assignors to Pilot Full-Fashion Mills,Inc., Valdese, N. C., a corporation of Delaware Application November 5,1953, Serial No. 390,389

20 Claims. (Cl. 66-177) This invention relates to a method of producingfullfashioned knitted articles on full-fashioned or fiat bed knittingmachines and more especially to a method of producing a full-fashionedpanty.

Heretofore, panties or similar undergarments have been manufactured bycutting one or more pieces of material and then joining these pieces ofmaterial to form front, rear and crotch portions. In joining the piecesof material together it has been necessary to utilize severalmanufacturing steps such as sewing and hemming and the like and then theleg openings of the panty have had to be hemmed. In some cases, it hasbeen desirable or necessary to sew additional material to the garmentsuch as in the seat or crotch portion if a reinforced crotch or seatportion is desired. All of this requires numerous steps in themanufacturing process and furthermore leaves hems and joints in thepanty which are unsightly and are undesirable from the comfortstandpoint. Furthermore, in a panty of this type it is impossible tocompletely fashion the curvature of the panty so as to make it fit thebody of a wearer perfectlysince the upper part of the panty must be ofsufficient width to accommodate the largest portion of the wearer andthis is generally accomplished by making the upper portion or waistportion of the panty relatively wide and using an elastic waistband togather the same which leaves puckei's and gathers around the waist whichare not desirable.

Various attempts have heretofore been made to utilize knitted fabric forpanties and generally they have resulted in cutting the knitted fabricand forming a panty from the cut pieces in the manner described above.Some attempts have been made to form a panty or similar garment on acircular knitting machine, but such attempts have not given satisfactoryresults.

It is therefore the primary object of this invention to provide afull-fashioned panty which is knit on a fiat bed knitting machine in aplurality of continuous courses and wherein the shape of the panty isfashioned as may be desired in a manner similar to the manner in whichfullfashioned stockings are fashioned.

It is another object of this invention to provide a fullfashioned pantyor similar garment which is manufactured on a fiat bed or full-fashionedknitting machine wherein one or more continuous strands of yarn areutilized to form a continuous plurality of courses forming first a bodyportion and then a crotch and then a second body portion and wherein thecurvature of said portions of the garment may be varied or modified asdesired by widening and narrowing and wherein the garment may becompleted by connecting the selvages of the two body portions and noadditional hemming or stitching or piecing is required and wherein thegarment will be substantially free from unsightly and uncomfortableseams.

It is another object of this invention to provide a fullfashionedknitted panty or the like of the type described where additionalreinforcing yarn may be introduced at any desired point in the panty,for example, in the crotch portion of the panty to form a reinforcedcrotch portion integral with the body yarn of the fabric and wherein noseams or the like are necessary.

It is another object of this invention to provide a fullfashioned pantyof the type described formed from supertwisted synthetic yarns causingthe finished panty to have elasticity or pull in all directions andfurther insuring aproper fit.

An additional advantage of th s lI1V611t10 Il s the fact that afull-fashioned panty of this type utilizing super- 2,706,389 PatentedApr. 19, 1955 twisted synthetic yarns may be made on conventionalfull-fashioned knitting machines used in making fullfashioned hosieryand thus provide a new product which can be made with existingmachinery.

It is another object of this invention to provide a method of knitting agarment such as a panty wherein the garment is completely fashioned (1)by knitting a plurality of courses to form a first body portion of thegarment and widening or narrowing said courses as may be desired to givethe body portion a desired configuration; (2) forming a crotch portionof the garment by knitting a plurality of additional courses whileprogressively narrowing the same and then knitting a plurality ofcourses of a width substantially less than the width of the body portionand then knitting an additional plurality of courses while progressivelyWidening the same; forming a second body portion in a manner similar tothat in which the first body portion is formed; and (4) then connectingthe selvages of the two body portions together to form thefull-fashioned panty. In this manner, the selvages of the fabric at thecrotch portion formed by narrowing and widening will define leg openingsfor the panty.

It is another object of this invention to provide a method of knitting afull-fashioned panty of the type described wherein additional yarn isfed to the knitting instrumentalities to reinforce the area adjacent theleg openings and also, if desired, to provide a reinforced crotch areaintegral with the panty fabric.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objectswill appear as the description proceeds, when 31561111 in connectionwith the accompanying drawings, in w ic Figure 1 is -a somewhatschematic plan view of a panty blank formed according to this inventionand showing the yarn carriers of a full fashioned knitting machine;

Figure 2 is an elevation of a completed panty made in accordance withone form of this invention;

Figure 3 is an enlarged view of the area 3 in Figure 1 llustrating themanner in which additional yarn is used in reinforcing the crotchportion of the panty;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 1, but on a smaller scale showinganother form of panty made in accordance with this method;

Figure 5 is an elevation of the completed panty shown 111 Figure 4;

Figure 6 is an enlarged somewhat schematic view of the general area 6 inFigure 4 illustrating one type of lock stitch which may be used at thewaistband of the panty;

Figure 7 is an enlarged view of the area 7 in Figure 4 illustrating themanner in which the garment is widened in forming a portion of thecrotch area.

Referring more specifically to Figures 1, 2 and 3, there will beobserved a full fashioned panty formed from supertwisted syntheticyarns. The term supertwisted yarns, as used herein, shall includevarious types of synthetic yarns processed in such a manner as to makethe same stretchable or yieldablc. Such synthetic yarns are of athermoplastic nature and include yarns of cellulose acetate, polyamidicyarns such as nylon, polyester yarns, such as Dacron, acrylonitrileyarns, such as Orlon, and any other synthetic thermoplastic yarns havingthe desired characteristics.

These yarns are treated according to any well-known commercial processesto give the same a wool-like effect by increasing the elasticity orcurliness of the yarn generally by imparting a supertwist thereto or, insome instances, by crimping the yarns in any desired manner. Suchprocesses are disclosed in Patents Nos. 2,019,183, 2,019,185 and2,564,245 and are generally known in the trade as the supertwistingprocess. According to this process, artificial yarns are provided withincreased elasticity and curliness by imparting a super number of twiststo the yarn, setting the twist and thereafter untwisting the yarn. Oneor more strands of such yarn may be utilized as desired, generally twooppositely supertwisted yarns are twisted together and the finished yarnwill have a generally fuzzy appearance, such as shown more or lessschematically in Figure 3 and will have a tendency to crinkle or curl sothat the loops of a fabric knitted from such yarn will be irregular inshape and the fabric will have elasticity in both directions.

By the use of such a yarn in a full-fashioned or fiat bed knittingmachine of a standard size as is ordinarily used in manufacturingfull-fashioned stockings, a panty which would normally require a widthsubstantially greater than the needle bed of such a machine may beformed and with this type of yarn the panty will have enoughstretchability or elasticity to properly fit people of various sizes.

Furthermore, the combination in a panty or similar garment ofsupertwisted yarn with full-fashioning results in a garment having thefinest possible fit.

Referring now to Figure 1, there will be observed a plurality of yarncarriers 1hr, b and 100 mounted on carrier rods 11 of a conventional orother type of fullfashioned or fiat bed knitting machine. The yarncarriers are reciprocated, one or more at a time as desired, to feed oneor more yarns to a plurality of knitting needles, not shown, to causethe yarn or yarns to be knitted into a plurality of courses in a mannerwell known in the full-fashioned hosiery art. By actuating the yarn feedcarriers in a desired manner and by using one or more of the yarn feedcarriers the width of the garment knitted may be varied from time totime and, if desired, additional or reinforcing yarn may be introducedinto various areas of the garment as desired.

The configuration of a panty formed according to this invention may varyand one form of panty is illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3 wherein thefull-fashioned panty blank is broadly designated at 12 and it will beobserved that a plurality of such blanks are knitted in a continuousseries by the full-fashioned knitting machine and these blanks maysubsequently be separated adjacent the waistband area thereof and eachformed into a complete panty in the manner to be described.

Referring to the lower portion of Figure 1, 1t W111 be seen that incommencing the knitting of a series of blanks 12, a plurality of initialcourses indicated at are preferably formed and in the presentillustration it will be observed that the yarn carrier 10b is utilizedfor feeding a body yarn to the knitting instrumentalities throughout amajor portion of the width of the full-fashioned knittlng machinesection and additional yarn carriers 10) are utilized for introducing anadditional or reinforcing yarn to a relatively small number of needlesadjacent the selvages of the panty blank to form a reinforced area ateach selvage indicated at 21.

After a relatively small plurality of courses 20 have been knitted inthis fashion, one or more additional courses of a lock. stitchconstruction are knitted as at 22, the lock stitches 22 serving todefine the waistband edges of the panty. The knitting instrumentalitiesare then actuated to form a first body portion of the panty which inthis instance is the front portion and is indicated at 23. Since it isusually desirable to have the panty somewhat narrower at the upper orwaist portion thereof than at the center of the body portion, theinitial courses in the body portion are preferably of a width somewhatless than the full width of the panty blank.

If desired, a plurality of courses may be knitted of equal width andthen the courses may be widened in forming the body portion. In thepresent illustration, a plurality of course are knitted utilizing theyarn feed carriers 10b and 101- and these courses are progressivelywidened as desired, say two wales at a time every eight courses for adesired number of courses, thus forming widening marks 24 adjacent theselvages of the upper or waist area of the body portion 23. It should beunderstood that any desired amount of widening may be utilized in orderto fashion the panty blank as may be desired.

The knitting instrumentalities are then actuated in a conventionalmanner to knit the center area of the body portion by straight knitting,that is, knitting courses of equal width, for any desired number ofcourses. This center area of the body portion is preferably ofsubstantially the same width throughout, but it may be widened ornarrowed as desired in the manufacture of a particular garment.

After a plurality of such body portion courses have been knitted, theknitting instrumentalities are actuated to narrow the fabric for adesired number of courses to commence the formation of a crotch portionbroadly designated at 25. For example, the fabric may be narrowed twowales every course on each side thereof for a plurality of courses andthen narrowed two wales every two courses for an additional plurality ofcourses adjacent the selvages in each instance. This narrowing operationdefines the upper front portion of a crotch area and the selvages of thecrotch area 25 define the edges of leg openings in the completed garmentand it is therefore desirable to continue the reinforcement 21 at theselvages in this area.

After the narrowing operation is completed, the center portion of thecrotch area is formed by straight knitting for a desired plurality ofcourses. The fabric is then widened to form the other side or upper rearportion of the crotch area 25, as by widening two wales at a time everytwo courses for a plurality of courses and then widening two wales at atime every ten courses for an additional plurality of courses. Thiswidening forms marks 27 in the fabric and by widening in this manner theblank 12 has a somewhat elongated curvature at the other end of thecrotch portion 25 which is slightly different from that formed at thebeginning of the crotch portion. Such an elongated curvature is desiredin forming the rear portion of the garment as the selvages of the blankat this area also define the rear portions of the leg openings and thisarea of the fabric also serves as part of the seat of the garment.

A rear body portion or seat 28 of the garment blank is then formed bystraight knitting for a plurality of courses, any desired number ofcourses being utilized, preferably substantially the same or slightlymore than the number of courses of straight knitting utilized in formingthe main body portion 23 of the front of the garment blank.

The blank 12 is then narrowed as at 30 to form the upper rear waistportion, said narrowings 30 conforming substantially to the widenings 24in the upper front waist portion. One or more courses of lock stitches31 similar to the lock stitches 22 are preferably formed to define theupper rear edge or waistband edge of the rear body portion of thegarment blank. After the lock stitches 31 a plurality of additionalcourses 20 may be knitted to provide a severance area and then anadditional panty blank 12 may be knitted in a similar manner.

It will be observed that the reinforcing yarn carried by the yarncarriers 10r forms a relatively narrow reinforcing band 21 throughoutthe entire selvages of the blank. This reinforced band 21 is highlydesirable in the leg opening area as it serves to additionally defineand reinforce the leg openings and to cause the same to snugly fit thelegs of the wearer. If desired, this reinforced yarn may be omitted fromthe selvages of the body portion of the garment. In some instances, itmay be desirable to omit the reinforced area 21 adjacent the legopenings in which instance it will probably be necessary to sew elasticor similar material around the leg openings of the completed garment.Lace or other decorative or ornamental material may be attached to thegarment around the leg openings if desired.

Usually, it is desirable to reinforce the crotch portion of the garmentas at 34 and according to the present method this reinforcement may beaccomplished by utilizing one of the yarn carriers 10, in this instancethe yarn carrier designated 100, to feed an additional reinforcing yarnto the knitting instrumentalities to cause this additional yarn to beinterknit with the body yarn throughout the desired reinforced area.

In the present illustration, the additional reinforcing yarn carried bythe yarn carrier is introduced to the needles at the point 35 and to aprogressively greater number of needles to widen the reinforcement as at36. The crotch area 25 is then reinforced throughout the cen tralportion thereof and the reinforcing yarn may then be widened as at 37 insubstantial conformity to the widening 27 of the crotch portion. Thecrotch reinforcement then is narrowed as at 38 and terminates as at 39thus forming a somewhat wider reinforcement at the lower part of theseat area.

It will be observed that the reinforced area 34 is spaced from thereinforced selvage 21 leaving an area of fabric 39 which is notreinforced. Since the non-reinforced area will have greater elasticitythan the reinforced area, the omission of reinforcement at the area 39between the reinforced areas 21 and 34 provides for a better and moresnug fit of the completed garment. The particular configuration of thereinforced crotch area may be varied as desired and as a general rulemore reinforcement is desired adjacent the rear portion or seat portionof the garment than at the front portion of the garment. Figure 3clearly illustrates the arrangement of the reinforced yarn in the crotcharea and wherein the reinforced yarn is indicated at r and the bodyvyarn at b.

The waistband or upper edges of the garment are defined by the lockstitches 22 and 31 and these look stitches are provided in order topermit the successive blanks to be separated from each other withoutcausing raveling or runs in the completed garment. Any desired type oflock stitch or picot stitch may be utilized and in general practice ithas been found desirable to knit a small area of courses 20 between thelock stitches 22 and 31 and then the fabric may be severed in the area20 and the waistband may be formed in any desired manner.

The top edge of the panty may be folded upon itself and sewn together toform a welt or hem across the upper edge thereof which will serve as awaistband and due to the elasticity of the yarn, it will ordinarily besufficient. In some instances, however, it may be desirable to knit inan additional yarn, not shown, adjacent the upper edges of the garmentto form a welt which will serve as a waistband. In such an instance itmay be desirable to utilize a hem stitch at the upper edge of thegarment or the band of additional yarn may be used without such a hemstitch.

In some instances, in order to provide even greater elasticity at thewaistband area, rubber or elastic yarn may be introduced to the knittinginstrumentalities for a plurality of courses adjacent the upper edges ofthe garment to form an elastic or stretchable waistband. In otherinstances, it may be desired to attach to the upper edge of the garmenta lace and/ or elastic strip such as indicated at 40 in Figure 2 to formthe waistband of the garment. The invention is not limited to anyparticular type of waistband, as it is contemplated that any desiredarrangement may be utilized within the scope of this invention.

As previously stated, any desired variation may be made in theconfiguration of the panty blank by varying the widening and narrowings.As a specific example for illustration only but not as a limitation, theblank may be formed with supertwisted yarn wherein the initial coursesmay be 352 wales in width, and in forming the first waist portion, 52courses of equal width may be knitted, then the courses are widened oneach side two wales at a time every 8 courses for a total of 24 wideningoperations on each side, covering a total of 192 courses.

The center body portion is then formed by knitting 228 courses of equalwidth, and then the first part of the crotch area is formed by narrowingtwo wales every course on each side of the blank for 34 courses and thennarrowing two wales every two courses for 34 courses, the first of saidnarrowings forming marks such as the marks 41. The center portion of thecrotch area is then formed by knitting 200 courses of the same width.

The rear or second part of the crotch area which also forms a part ofthe seat of the panty is then knitted by widening 61 times, 2 wales at atime every 2 courses, for 122 courses, and then widening 2 wales at atime every 6 courses for six times for a total of 36 courses.

The rear body portion is then formed by knitting 94 courses of equalwidth, then widening 4 courses to make marks like the marks 42 and thenknitting 134 courses of equal width. The rear waist portion is thenformed by narrowing 2 wales every 8 courses 24 times for a total of 192courses, then knitting 52 courses of equal width to form the waistbandedge of the panty. Panties fashioned in this manner have been foundhighly satisfactgry for the average figure.

After the blanks 12 have been knitted as described, they are separatedalong the area 20 and the selvages of the body portions 23 and 28 arejoined together as by seaming or the like and any desired waistband 40may then be added thereto to form a completed garment P as illustratedin Figure 2.

The size of the leg openings of the garment may be varied by varying thepoint at which the lower edges of the body portion selvages are joinedtogether. It is frequently desirable in the knitting operation to makenarrowing marks 41 adjacent the point at which the crotch narrowingsbegin and to make widening marks 42 adjacent the point where the crotchwidenings terminate. The position of the narrowing and widening marks 41and 42 may vary and these marks may serve as indications to the seamingoperator of the particular point gherein the seaming of the body portionselvages should egm.

While the garment is shown as being knitted from front to rear it is tobe understood that it can be knitted from rear to front and widened andnarrowed accordingly. It is frequently desirable to have more fabric inthe seat or rear of the garment and this may be accomplished by knittingthe rear first and then narrowing and widening to form the crotch andthen knitting the front portion.

Modified form While it is highly desirable to utilize stretchable orsupertwisted yarn in forming the full-fashioned garment inaccordance-with this method, it is also contemplated that a garment maybe formed using ordinary yarn of any desired type, preferably nylon. Insuch an instance, it will be necessary to utilize a full-fashioned orflat bed knitting machine having a substantially greater number ofneedles in each section than are present in ordinary full-fashionedhosiery machines. Referring to Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7, there will beobserved one type of panty which may be formed in such a fashion usingordinary, that is, nonstretchable yarn. In this form of the inventionlike parts will bear like reference characters with the prime nota tionadded.

It will be observed by referring to Figure 4 that the garment is formedby conventional knitting instrumentalities, not shown, to which yarnsare fed by means of yarn feed carriers 10r', 10b and actuated by carrierrods 11'. Beginning at the bottom of Figure 4, it will be observed thata plurality of courses 20 are formed and then at least one course oflock or picot stitches 22' is formed, after which the front body portion23 of the garment is knitted.

The front body portion 23 is knitted in substantially the same manner asthat described for the first form of the invention, except that it willbe observed that the width of the garment at the waistband edge or theline 22' is substantially wider than in the first form of the invention.

The garment is also widened as at 24' for a plurality of courses, butsuch widening is not as marked and does not extend for as great a lengthas is preferred in the first form of the invention. Reinforcing yarn maybe knitted into a plurality of wales at the selvages as at 21, ifdesired, and in the present illustration such reinforcing is shown inthe crotch area only omitting the same from the body portions. It willbe understood that when the panty is formed from ordinary ornon-stretchable yarn sufficient material will have to be providedadjacent the waistband to allow the same to be gathered so that thegarment will fit over the hips of a wearer. After a predetermineddesired number of courses have been knitted while widening outwardly ateach side as at 24, the main portion of the front body portion 23' isknit by ordinary straight knitting for a predetermined number ofcourses.

The crotch portion 25' is then formed by narrowing the knittinginstrumentalities inwardly for a plurality of courses as at 26, theselvages at this area defining the beginning of the leg openings of thepanty. In this type of panty, it is highly desirable to provideadditional fashioning in the crotch area for the best fit while in thefirst form of panty the center portion of the crotch area is preferablyformed by straight knitting.

In the panty blank 12 the narrowings 26 are continued, however at aprogressively smaller rate, to substantially the center portion of thecrotch area 25. At this point the knitting instrumentalities areactuated to widen the fabric outwardly progressively as at 27' throughthe remainder of the crotch portion.

After the crotch portion 25 has been knitted in this fashion the rearbody portion 28 is knitted in a plurality of courses of equal width andthen the upper rear edge thereof is fashioned to a somewhat limiteddegree by narrowing as at 30. At the completion of this portion of therear body portion of the panty, additional lock stitches 31 of anydesired construction are knitted into the garment so as to prevent runsor raveling or the like at this point. Then an additional area 20 and anadditional panty is formed by the knitting instrumentalities.

If desired, a reinforced crotch area may be formed as at 34' in a mannersimilar to the manner in which the reinforced crotch area 34 is formedin the panty blank 12. This reinforcement may be fashioned at thebeginning and at the end as at 36 and 38, respectively, I

and may extend into and form a part of the reinforcement 21' if sodesired but as a practical matter since it is formed from a differentcarrier, it is best to leave one o11 two wales 39 between the reinforcedareas 34 and 2 After the panty blank 12' has been completed in thismanner the edges of the body portions 23 and 28' may be seamed togetheras at 50 to form a panty P, and a suitable waistband 40 preferably ofelastic may be attached to the waistband edges of the garment, in thisinstance it being observed that the garment is gathered at the point ofattachment to the waistband 40 as at 51. In this type of panty Padditional reinforcement will be needed around the leg openings, whichmay be in the form of elastic tape or ornamental lace or the like or abinding tape 52 which may be secured around the edges of the blankforming the leg openings as by a plurality of stitches 53.

Referring to Figure 6, there will be observed a somewhat schematicenlarged view showing the manner in which locked stitches or picotstitches may be formed at the line 31'. While Figure 6 is a view of thegeneral area 6 in Figure 4, it is a reverse view, that is, in Figure6,the direction of knitting is from top to bottom as indicated by thearrow. As heretofore stated, any desired type of locked stitch may beformed to prevent raveling upon severance of one panty blank fromanother.

It will be observed in Figure 6 that the line of locked stitches 31' atthe juncture of areas 20' and 28' includes three courses indicated atC1, C2 and C-3 and two adjacent stitches from two adjacent wales in thelast course of area 28' are interknitted with a single stitch in thecourse C1, the yarn forming the course C-l being taken by the needlehooks and stitches formed therewith after which the needle hooks shiftand take the yarn from the next adjacent wale and transfer the yarn fromsaid next adjacent wale back to the original wale so the stitches in thecourse Cl are substantially in the shape of a figure eight.

The intermediate course C2 is then knit in the usual manner wherein astitch is formed in each wale and, thereafter, the succeeding course -3is knit in an identical manner as the course Cl. Therefore, if thefabric is severed at any point beyond the course Cl it will not ravel orrun beyond this course.

Figure 7 is a greatly enlarged view showing the manner in which thecrotch portion 34 is widened at its juncture with the reinforced selvage21' of the panty. It will be noted that the fabric is knitted from thebottom portion of Figure 7 upwardly and the courses are formed in thedirections indicated by arrows.

As each successive course is knitted it will be observed that the area34 is widened from course to course to form the widening points 27.Reinforcing yarn r is interknitted with the body yarn b in the area 34which forms the reinforcement for the crotch portion. An additionalreinforcing yarn sr is interknitted with the body yarn b in the selvagearea 21 to provide reinforcement at this area. The manner in whichreinforcing yarn is added and the manner in which the fabric is widenedis conventional in the knitting of full-fashioned stockings and afurther description thereof is deemed unnecessary.

It will thus be observed that we have provided a fullfashioned pantyformed from a blank of knitted material knitted from a continuous yarnand widened and narrowed to fashion a desired configuration to the pantyand wherein an additional yarn may be interknitted at any desired areafor reinforcing or other purposes.

While the invention has been described showing one panty knittedcompletely of supertwisted yarn and another panty knitted of ordinaryyarn or non-supertwisted yarn it will be understood that any combinationmay be made of the two. For example, in the panty P it may be desirableto interknit certain areas thereof with ordinary non-elastic yarn forreinforcing or ornamental purposes. For example, a reinforced area mayextend throughout the center portion of the body areas 23 and 28, ifdesired, and this reinforced area may be formed of either supertwistedor elastic or non-elastic yarn. It may also be desirable to use yarns ofdifferent types (such as nylon and Dacron) in various portions of thepanty.

In the illustrated panty P it may be highly desirable to knit certainareas thereof with supertwisted yarn or to reinforce certain areasthereof with supertwisted yarn and it is contemplated that any desiredcombination of the same may be used in practicing this invention.

After the panty has been fabricated as described, it may be subjected tofinishing operations similar to those used in the full-fashioned hosieryart. For example, it may be washed, set, boarded, treated with softenersor otherwise to enhance its appearance and feel.

Panties made in accordance with this invention may be made of relativelyheavy yarn for use as bathing suit liners and the like or of relativelyheavy elastic yarn to serve as a girdle. In using supertwisted yarns ofrelatively light weight as used in ladies stockings, the panties willhave sufficient elasticity to hold pads or the like without othersupport.

Throughout the specification and claims we have employed the word pantyto include underwear not only for Women and children but to includetrunks and shorts for men.

In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferredembodiment of the invention and, although specific terms are employed,they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not forpurposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in theclaims.

We claim:

1. That method of knitting a full-fashioned selvaged panty blank from atleast one highly stretchable synthetic yarn which comprises knitting afirst plurality of courses from said yarn to form a first body portion,knitting a second plurality of courses from said yarn to form a crotchportion, knitting a third plurality of courses from said yarn to form asecond body portion and widening and narrowing some of said portionsduring the knitting thereof to fashion the same, wherein the wideningand narrowing form fashioning marks in the blank, and wherein selvagesare formed during the knitting process along the sides of the body andcrotch portions.

2. That method of knitting a full-fashioned stretchable selvaged pantyblank which comprises knitting a first plurality of courses with ahighly stretchable synthetic yarn to form a first body portion, knittinga second plurality of courses with said yarn to form a crotch portion,knitting a third plurality of courses with said yarn to form a secondbody portion, widening and narrowing some of said portions during theknitting thereof to fashion the same, wherein the widening and narrowingform fashioning marks in the blank and wherein selvages are formedduring the knitting process along the sides of body and crotch portions,and interknitting an additional yarn with said first-named yarn in someareas of said panty blank for reinforcing said areas.

3. That method of manufacturing a full-fashioned selvaged panty or thelike from highly elastic synthetic yarn which comprises knitting a firstplurality of courses to form a first body portion, knitting a secondplurality of courses to form a crotch portion, knitting a thirdplurality of courses to form a second body portion, widening andnarrowing some of said portions during the knitting thereof to fashionthe same, wherein the widening and narrowing form fashioning marks andwherein selvages are formed during the knitting process along the sidesof body and crotch portions, and then securing corresponding selvages ofthe first and second body portions together in such a manner that theselvages of the crotch portion define leg openings for the panty.

4. That method of manufacturing a full-fashioned selvaged panty or thelike from highly elastic synthetic yarn which comprises knitting a firstplurality of courses to form a first body portion, knitting a secondplurality of courses to form a crotch portion, knitting a thirdplurality of courses to form a second body portion, widening andnarrowing some of said portions during the knitting thereof to fashionthe same, wherein the widening and narrowing form fashioning marks inthe blank and wherein selvages are formed during the knitting processalong the sides of body and crotch portions, interknitting an additionalyarn into certain areas of some of said portions during the knittingthereof for reinforcing the same, and securing corresponding selvages ofthe first and second body portions together in such a manner that theselvages of the crotch portion define leg openings for the panty.

5. That method of forming a full-fashioned panty blank from at least onehighly stretchable synthetic yarn which includes the steps of knitting aplurality of successive courses to form a first body portion,thereafter, knitting a second plurality of courses while progressivelynarrowing the same, then knitting a third plurality of courses ofsubstantially uniform width and of a substantially lesser width thansaid first plurality of courses, then knitting a fourth plurality ofcourses while widening from course to course until a course ofsubstantially the same width as the first-named courses has been formed,and thereafter knitting a fifth plurality of courses of substantiallyuniform width to form a second body portion, wherein selvages are formedduring the knitting process along the sides of body and crotch portions,and whereby the second, third and fourth pluralities of coursescollectively form a crotch portion between said first and second bodyportions.

6. A full-fashioned panty formed from a single selvaged piece of fabricknitted with at least one highly stretchable synthetic yarn and havingfront and rear portions connected at their corresponding selvages and acrotch portion extending between the lower edges of said front and rearportions and integral therewith, the selvages of the crotch portiondefining leg openings in the panty, and at least one portion of thepanty being reinforced by an additional yarn knitted into the fabric.

7. A full-fashioned panty knitted of at least one highly stretchablesynthetic yarn and having front and rear selvaged body portions, aselvaged crotch portion between and of lesser width than said bodyportions, means securing corresponding selvages of the front and rearbody portions together to form leg openings defined by the selvages ofsaid crotch portion, and the selvages of the crotch portion having anadditional yarn interknitted therein for reinforcement.

8. A full-fashioned stretchable panty or the like formed from a selvagedblank of continuously knitted fabric, said blank being formed of atleast one highly stretchable synthetic yarn and being widened andnarrowed during the knitting thereof to form front and rear bodyportions interconnected by a crotch portion, said blank havingfashioning marks therein adjacent the selvages, and correspondingselvages of the front and rear body portions being connected together toform the body of the panty with the selvages of the crotch portiondefining leg openings for the panty.

9. A full-fashioned panty knitted from at least one highly stretchablesynthetic yarn and having front and rear body portions, a crotch portionbetween and of lesser width than said body portions, at least one ofsaid portions having reinforcing yarn interknitted in at least one areathereof, and means securing corresponding selvages of the front and rearbody portions together to form leg openings defined by the selvages ofsaid crotch portion.

10. A full-fashioned panty knitted from at least one highly stretchablesynthetic yarn and having front and rear body portions and a crotchportion extending be tween the body portions, the width of the crotchportion being less than the width of the body portions, some of saidportions having fashioning marks therein, and means securingcorresponding selvages of the front and rear body portions together toform leg openings defined by the selvages of the crotch portion.

11. A full-fashioned panty knitted from at least one highly stretchablesynthetic body yarn and having front and rear body portions, a crotchportion between and of lesser width than said body portions, meanssecuring corresponding selvages of the two body portions together toform leg openings defined by the selvages of said crotch portion, and atleast one reinforcing yarn knitted with the body yarn adjacent theselvages of said portions.

12. A full-fashioned panty knitted from at least one highly stretchablesynthetic yarn and having front and rear body portions, a crotch portionbetween and of lesser width than said body portions, means securlngcorresponding selvages of the front and rear body portions together toform leg openings defined by the selvages of said crotch portion, and atleast one reinforcing yarn knitted into a portion of the crotch portionof said ant p 132 A full-fashioned panty knitted from at least onehighly stretchable synthetic body yarn and having body portions and acrotch portion extending between and being of lesser width than saidbody portions, means securing corresponding selvages of the two bodyportions together to form leg openings defined by the selvages of saidcrotch portion, the crotch portion having at least one reinforcing yarnknitted with the body yarn adjacent its selvages and also having areinforcing yarn knitted with the body yarn in areas thereof between itsselvages.

14. A full-fashioned panty formed from a selvaged blank of continuouslyknitted fabric formed from at least one highly stretchable syntheticyarn and having first and second body portions interconnected by acrotch portion, corresponding selvages of said body portions beingconnected to each other and the selvages of the crotch portion definingleg openings in the panty and wherein the width of said body portionsand said crotch portions is varied during the knitting thereof tofashion the garment and fashioning marks are formed in said portions.

15. A full-fashioned panty formed from a selvaged blank of continuouslyknitted fabric formed from at least one highly stretchable syntheticyarn and having first and second body portions interconnected by acrotch portion, the crotch portion being of less width than the bodyportions, the selvages of said first body portion being connected to theselvages of the second body portion and the selvages of the crotchportion defining leg openings in the panty, the width of said bodyportions and said crotch portions being varied in the knitting thereofto fashion the garment, and portions of said panty having an additionalyarn knitted therein for reinforcement.

16. A full-fashioned panty or the like comprising a selvaged blank knitfrom at least one highly stretchable synthetic yarn and widened andnarrowed to form first and second body portions interconnected by' acrotch portion, the width of said first and second body portions beingvaried to fashion said blank, the width of said crotch portion beingprogressively narrowed from said first body portion and progressivelywidened toward said second body portion, the selvages of said first bodyportion being connected to the selvages of the second body portion, theselvages of said crotch portion defining leg openings in the panty, andat least one of said-portions having an area in which an additional yarnis knitted for reinforcement.

17. A full-fashioned panty or the like comprising a selvaged blank knitfrom at least one highly stretchable synthetic yarn and widened andnarrowed to form first and second body portions interconnected by acrotch portion, the width of said first and second body portions beingvaried to fashion said blank, the width of said crotch portion beingprogressively narrowed from said first body portion and progressivelywidened toward said second body portion, the selvages of said first bodyportion being connected to the selvages of the second body portion, theselvages of said crotch portion defining leg openings in the panty, andat least some of the selvages of said blank having an additional yarnknitted therein for reinforcement.

18. A full-fashioned panty or the like comprising a selvaged blank knitfrom at least one highly stretchable synthetic yarn and widened andnarrowed to form first and second body portions interconnected by acrotch portion, the width of said first and second body portions belngvaried to fashion said blank, the width of said crotch portion beingprogressively narrowed from said first body portion and progressivelywidened toward said second body portion, the selvages of said first bodyportion being connected to the selvages of the second body portion, theselvages of said crotch portion defining leg opemngs in the panty, and aportion of the crotch portion of said blank having an additional yarnknitted therein for reinforcement.

19. As an article of manufacture, a panty formed from a fashionedknitted and selvaged blank, knitted of highly stretchable synthetic yarnand having opposed end body portions of substantially uniform width, anintermediate crotch portion of substantially less width than said bodyportions, opposite ends of said crotch portion being flared outwardly sothe selvages of the crotch portion coincide substantially with theselvages of said body portions, at least some of said portions havingfashioning marks therein, and corresponding selvages of the bodyportions being joined together whereby leg openings are defined by theselvages of said crotch portion.

20. A full fashioned panty having a front body portion, a rear bodyportion and a crotch portion between and mainly of less width than thebody portions, the

1 1 portions being knitted from highly stretchable synthetic yarn, atleast one of said portions having reinforcing yarn incorporated in atleast one area thereof, the side edges of one body portion being securedto the side edges of the other body portion and the side edges of thecrotch portion defining leg openings of the panty.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS CottonNov. 20, 1866 12 Holmes Dec. 3, 1889 Green Dec. 4, 1923 Reis Jan. 14,1936 Boysen et al. Mar. 16, 1937 Crimmins Sept. 29, OTHER REFERENCESKnitted Fabrics, by Chamberlain and Quilter, pub lished by Sir IsaacPitrnan and Sons, Ltd., pages 81, 94, and 95. Received 1921.

